MEDIA RELEASE: HEALTHY HAROLD DEBACLE SHOWS TURNBULL’S TRUE SPOTS

THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MPDEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITIONSHADOW MINISTER FOR EDUCATIONSHADOW MINISTER FOR WOMENMEMBER FOR SYDNEY

CATHERINE KING MPSHADOW MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND MEDICAREMEMBER FOR BALLARAT

HEALTHY HAROLD DEBACLE SHOWS TURNBULL'S TRUE SPOTS

Healthy Harold will need a healthy amount of rest in the Life Education van after being subjected to 24 hours of this Government’s chaos.

How on earth did Malcolm Turnbull think that cutting funding to a long-standing children’s health education program was ever a good idea?

Who looks at a picture of Healthy Harold teaching kids about the dangers of smoking, drugs and alcohol and thinks – that’d be a good thing to cut?

Claims that the Government now “supports” the program are an absolute joke after both the health and education departments confirmed yesterday that funding was going to cease.

Until the Government comes clean with specific funding it will provide to the program, Australians have every right to assume Healthy Harold remains in jeopardy.

The instant public outrage to the news of Healthy Harold’s demise shows how out-of-touch this Government is.

The worst thing is they thought they could get away with it.

Generations of Australians have grown up learning about health from Harold and the Life Education program – after all teaching our children about healthy habits is one of the most important things we can do to set them up for the future.

Targeting a long-standing children’s health education program is a clear example that this Government just doesn’t get it.

Harold will hopefully be saved and have a healthy future, but nothing can save Malcolm Turnbull’s unfair priorities.